Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Jason Day are among the top sixgolfers in the world. They're also among the golfers MTSU alumnus Kent Bulle currently leads at the British Open.

Bulle, a 2011 graduate of MTSU, shot a 2-under 68 in the first round Thursday to end the day in a tie for 12th in the field of 156 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. He sits three strokes behind the leaders heading into the second round.

This is Bulle's first time playing a PGA Tour event since the 2016 U.S. Open, when he missed the cut by four strokes, and it's the first time an MTSU golfer has ever competed in the British Open.

And if the tournament were to end after Thursday, Bulle — who has earned a grand total of $74,371 since turning pro in 2010 — would walk away with $172,000 for a 12th-place finish.

The major tournament does not, however, end after just one round. The good news for Bulle is he's in fantastic shape to make the cut after the tournament's second round on Friday.

Bulle qualified for the British Open by winning the Argentina Open — for which he won $31,500 — in November. He's played some of his best golf this season, with two top-25 finishes on the Web.com Tour.

Bulle's second-round tee-off is slated for 4:53 a.m. Friday. The Golf Channel will provide coverage of the event.

Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Matt Kuchar lead the British Open at 5-under after one round. The winner of the event will be awarded $1,845,000.